Athens
by Allyssa Top Sites in Athens: # The Acropolis images.jpg|Acropolis The-national-garden-of-athens-near-syntagma.jpg|National Gardens monastiraki-shop2.jpg|Monastiraki Flea Market Le-mount-lycabettus.jpg|Lycabettus Hill The-Temple-Of-Poseidon-at-Cape-Sounion.jpg|Temple of Poseidon Museum.jpg|National Museum Delphi21-570x445.jpg|Delphi parthenon-3.jpg|The Parthenon PlAKA.jpg|Plaka 1200px-Kallimarmaron stadium.jpg|Olympic Stadium # The National Gardens # Monastiraki Neighbourhood # Lycabettus Hill # Tempel of Poseidon # The National Museum of Contemporary Art # Delphi # The Parthenon # The Plaka # Panathinaiko Olympic Stadium History of Athens In ancient times the Greeks lived in city states. Each state had its own laws, government and money but they shared the same language and religion. The two most important city states were Athens and Sparta. We know much about Athens because it produced many writers and artists, whose work has survived to this day. At first both Athens and Sparta were ruled by Kings. Then both were ruled by small groups of powerful people (oligarchies). Later Athens came to be ruled by the people as a democracy whilst Sparta remained an oligarchy. Athens was the largest and most powerful Greek state. It was a city with lots of beautiful public buildings, shops and public baths. Top Foods to Try: Fried-Feta-Cheese-Saganaki.jpg|Saganaki tiro.jpg|Tirokroketes Tiropitakia-recipe-Greek-Feta-Cheese-Triangles-41.jpg|Feta Me Meli greece_food_IMG_7128-2.jpg|Halvasi kythnos_food_pie_of_kythnos_IMG_6858-2.jpg|Pies of Kythnos kythnos_food_fermina_IMG_6742-2.jpg|Gyro Quick Facts: Athens is the Capital of Greece, in Europe. The population is around 664,100. Land area: 38.96km2 (15.04 sq mi). Languages include modern Greek, which comes from ancient Greek. There are some local dialects in other parts of Greece. Most people in cities under 40 are able to talk English as a second language. English is official lesson in Greek schools like history etc. Many schools offer and a third language as a choice and students are able to choose from Greece main exports are petroleum products (29 percent of the total exports), aluminium (5 percent), medicament (4 percent), fruits and nuts, fresh or dried (3 percent), vegetables, prepared or preserved (2 percent) and fish, fresh or frozen (2 percent). Main export partners are: Italy (11 percent of total exports); Germany (7 percent); Turkey (7 percent); Cyprus (6 percent); and Bulgaria (5 percent). Major sports include Football (soccer), water polo, and swimming. Major sports teams inclue AFK Athens F.C., Olympiacos F.C., and Panathinaikos. Wheather in Athens Athens has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. The dominant feature of Athens’ climate is alternation between prolonged hot and dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall. With an average of 432 millimetres (17.0 in) of yearly precipitation, rainfall occurs largely between the months of October and April. July and August are the driest months when thunderstorms occur sparsely. Furthermore, some coastal areas of Athens, known as the Athens Riviera have a hot semi-arid climate according to the climate atlas published by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (H.N.M.S). Owing to the rain shadow of the Pindus Mountains, annual precipitation of Athens is lower than most other parts of Greece, especially western Greece. Daily average highs for July have been measured around 34 °C or 93 °F in downtown Athens, but some parts of the city may be even hotter for the higher density of buildings, such as the center, in particular, western areas due to a combination of industrialization and a number of natural factors, knowledge of which has existed since the mid-19th century. Athens is affected by the urban heat island effect in some areas which is caused by human activity, altering its temperatures compared to the surrounding rural areas, and leaving detrimental effects on energy usage, expenditure for cooling, and health. The urban heat island of the city has also been found to be partially responsible for alterations of the climatological temperature time-series of specific Athens meteorological stations, because of its impact on the temperatures and the temperature trends recorded by some meteorological stations. On the other hand, specific meteorological stations, such as the National Garden station and Thiseio meteorological station, are less affected or do not experience the urban heat island Athens was the largest and most powerful Greek state. It was a city with lots of beautiful public buildings, shops and public baths. It took the ancient Greeks just nine years to build the Parthenon yet restoration work has been in progress for more than four decades – partly because previous repairs were carried out using cement, steel reinforcements and iron clamps that soon deteriorated, cracking the age-old stones. And as the makeover continues, so do the online grumbles: “The place resembles a building site on the health and safety officer’s day off. There are lean-to sheds, Portakabins, cranes, scaffolding, machinery and works vehicles strewn about the place.” Enjoyed this? Read about more European cities! Amsterdam , Rome , Manchester , Amsterdam , Barcelona City , Berlin